Alain RIZZO

Born in Marseille, Alain Rizzo began his footballing journey with SO Caillois, a club in Marseille region. As a solid central defender, he was spotted by Nice in 1966, and began his professional career with them the following season. He was however, frozen out by the fierce competition for places, and on the account of his lack of experience in the First Division. He wouldn't get much game-time with Nice, totalling just under 20 appearances at that level. Nice were relegated in 1969, but he wouldn't find it any easier getting into the team in the following season in Division Two, playing in just one solitary match. He decided at that point to leave the club to join Arles, another Second Division outfit of the day, in 1970. But he would only spend a single season at his new club, and soon moved on to La Ciotat the following year, where he would help his team to a decent 4th placed finish in the second tier in the 1971/1972 season. His adventure with Rennes began the next season, and he was soon became a first-choice First Team player. As a lynchpin at the heart of the Rennes defence, he played in virtually every league match, and missed only ten matches in his five seasons at the club. Associated with players like Goueffic, Kerbiriou, Rabier and Notheaux, he played four seasons for the Red and Blacks in the First Division; and another in the Second Division, making a total of 188 appearances for the club. In 1977, Rennes were in dire financial straits, and were obliged to release the biggest wage-earners from the squad, which forced Rizzo to leave the club. He bounced back with Olympique Avignonnais in the Second Division where he spent four seasons. Having just missed out on promotion - twice - to the First Division, whilst there, he chose to hang up is boots and end his professional playing days in 1981. Subsequently, he went in to management, coaching some lesser clubs in the Provence region of the South of France.